Training can enhance the skill of individuals by repetition and developing appropriate responses to various situations. In the combat context, combatants may conduct various types of training exercises in order to prepare for scenarios that can be anticipated in actual combat situations. Similar activities are performed during interactive game scenarios for entertainment purposes.
The Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) is a system designed for combatants involved in training exercises in order to provide a realistic training battlefield environment. The MILES system includes simulated offensive weapons, such as firearms, that provide tactical engagement simulation for direct fire force-on-force training by emitting relatively harmless near infrared (e.g., eye-safe) line-of-sight “bullets” generated by one or more light emitting diodes (LED) or lasers.
The “bullets” are sent in the form of pulses that transmit weapon information to the target. These pulses are transmitted each time the weapon is fired with a blank or blanks to simulate the firing of an actual round or multiple rounds. An audio sensor or a photo-optic sensor typically detects the firing of the blank round(s) and in real-time energizes an LED or a laser to emit the beam of “bullets” toward the target which is in the conventional sights of the weapon.
In a known apparatus for firing simulation, referred to as a two-way simulator that utilizes a practice firing device operating with laser or LED pulses, a laser or LED pulse transmitter is secured to the barrel of the gun and its transmitted pulse sequence reaches a target through the manual aiming of the gun at the target by a gunner. If the gunner perceives the aiming process as being correct, he or she actuates the trigger of the gun. This initiates an automatic process in which a transmitter control switches on the laser or LED transmitter for a duration of typically a few milliseconds.
The laser or LED pulses impact retro-reflectors on the target, and are reflected onto a position-sensitive photodetector affixed to the gun barrel. A range calculator calculates the target range from the transit time of the reflected pulses. An angular-position calculator simultaneously determines the angular deviation between the bore axis of the barrel and the center of gravity of the reflected laser or LED radiation. A flight-time calculator determines the theoretical projectile flight time. Over the course of the projectile flight time, the laser or LED transmitter transmits a further pulse sequence, and the angular-position calculator recalculates the angular deviation between the bore axis and the center of gravity of the laser radiation.
As known in the art, when laser or LED-based training is incorporated to simulate a weapon firing a projectile, the transmitted beam travels in a straight line path, which does not match the non-linear trajectory of the projectile, such as the arc-like trajectory of a bullet. In order to simulate the trajectory of the projectile, the laser or LED beam must be depressed sequentially to scan the trajectory to simulate the depression associated with the projectile trajectory.